Andrey Arshavin believes Arsenal must raid the transfer market to add depth and quality to their squad.

The Russia forward has suggested Arsene Wenger's current pool of players is too small, when compared to Arsenal's trophy rivals.

And although Arshavin recognised Everton's achievements of finishing fifth in the Barclays Premier League with a small squad last season, he claims Arsenal should not be looking to directly follow their example.

Arshavin told the Sunday Times: "We still have to buy. That's my opinion.

"We shouldn't set Everton as a benchmark, we should be looking at the top teams of Chelsea, Manchester United, Real Madrid, Barcelona.

"We should buy first-class players, regardless of their age. We should buy the ones who should improve our game. The top teams have much bigger squads than ours and that is why we have to buy."